Deep foundation construction in our great nation
Although the piling industry in Canada is relatively young, the history of piling as a technique can actually be traced back to the fourth century B.C., when Herodotus, the Greek writer and traveler, recorded how the Paeonians lived in dwellings erected on lofty piles driven into a lake bed.
Other references to ancient piling include lake dwellers in Switzerland, who approximately 6,000 years ago were thought to have built structures on piled foundations to elevate dwellings to protect the occupants against attack. Not to be outdone, Greek and Roman engineers used piles along the Mediterranean coast. Early records show that piles were formed by using timber branches that were trimmed down with a small diameter at the bottom. They were driven into the soil as deep as the ground would allow.
The industry has come a long way. And while piling today is largely steel and concrete, the one thing that remains constant is that piles continue to be used as deep foundations to support many types of structures and in many types of ground conditions.
Piling Canada set out to learn more about the industry today and recently sat down with a number of Canadian piling and deep foundation contractors (from both small and large companies) to get their take on the industry, how it has changed, where it is going and much more.
A special thanks goes to the individuals who took time out of their hectic schedules to offer their insights in our roundtable discussion: Tony Evangelista, business development manager with Northstar Inc., which has offices in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan; Stan Higgins, owner of Postech Winnipeg; Wolf Kraft, president of Wayne’s Backhoe Service in Victoria Beach, Man.; Roger Mann, owner of Breakaway Drilling and Blasting in Yellowknife, N.W.T.; and Mike Nightingale, vice president of West Shore Constructors Limited in Vancouver.
PC: How is Canada’s piling industry faring today as compared to the past five to 10 years? How has the industry changed?
Evangelista: Competition is very healthy. It’s more competitive than it’s ever been. For us, it has been a very busy year. Bidding is tight and margins are tight. The way we estimate bids is really close. I think a lot of this is the pace. You have just enough time to get a project finished and you’re looking at the next one. To stay competitive and to stay on everyone’s radar to receive opportunities, it’s very competitive. Piling contractors now are no longer focusing on just one type of pile installation or foundation that they specialize in.
Mann: Today there are bigger sized diameter piles. There are more six-inch and eight-inch piles when it used to be four- and five-inch piles. I think this has to do with getting fewer piles, but of a bigger size. The industry is also more competitive because there is new technology, which makes it easier.
Higgins: It is difficult to answer this question as we have only been active in the industry in the past couple years. I can testify that more and more engineers and building officials seem to appreciate the return on investment that deep foundations offer.
Nightingale: We have been fortunate in the fact that the government has invested heavily in infrastructure since 2008, while the private sector has been quite slow.
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PC: Please explain one piling/deep foundation project your company has worked on, and what did it entail?
Evangelista: In terms of volume and dollars, probably the largest project we have been involved with has been going on for over a year. It’s a project for ATCO Electric and is known by its abbreviation – EATL – Eastern Alberta Transmission Line. It’s a job we’re doing for Valard Construction. This project entails constructing a 500-kilovolt transmission line from Edmonton to Calgary, with a number of substations. Our end alone will be about 15,000 driven piles. All the concrete foundations are being done by Valard. It’s a massive project – approximately $40 million for the driven piles. This project began last summer and is scheduled to conclude this summer.
Higgins: A customer required a deep foundation for a two- story dream cottage they were building. The land this customer purchased appeared to be a true gem – prime waterfront in a well-established cottage community at a great price. Upon a geotechnical investigation, an underground water supply was discovered at 14 feet below grade – the reason this site had changed ownership several times without ever being developed. In Manitoba, a traditional friction pile will typically exceed that depth and the customer was looking at a very expensive foundation. Using custom oversized helicals, we were able to achieve the required capacities well below frost and well above water resulting in an effective foundation alternative at a fraction of the cost.
Kraft: The last project we worked on was where the person had built a roadway down to the shoreline. It was about a 60-foot cliff. We had a major storm in 2010 that eroded the base of his road that led to the boathouse. We had to rebuild the road and prevent it from eroding so we used vinyl sheet piling. It wasn’t a huge project – about $200,000 – and encompassed 200 feet of sheet piling and then the roadwork that went along with rebuilding that. Also, this year we are expanding and entering the screw anchor pile market. We just signed on with a major European manufacturer of a screw pile. Until we finalize the deal, I cannot divulge more information. This just happened so we are moving forward.
Mann: We did two eight-inch pile projects in 2012 – one that is 100 kilometres out of Yellowknife and one in town that was a government office building. One project was 200 piles and the other was 115 piles. We worked on one for five weeks and the other took three weeks.
PC: What do you like most about the deep foundation construction industry?
Evangelista: I’ve always said that if this is my last job, I would be a very happy guy. It’s always changing. We’ve done piles for hospitals, schools and banks. You don’t come in and sit at your desk and know what you did yesterday is what you are going to do today and what you are going to do tomorrow.
Higgins: What I like most is that, as a company in the deep foundation construction industry, we are helping customers maximize the return on investment on their building projects. Often a building project is a reflection of a customer’s blood, sweat, tears and dreams. Whether it be a family home, cottage or place of business, they are significant investments. In Manitoba’s expansive soils and extreme climate, building without piles puts a customer at risk of long-term issues and major repairs at an expense, which nearly always outweighs an initial investment in a deep foundation.
Nightingale: I would say the people and the challenges.
Mann: I like drilling and blasting. It’s a big industry here in Yellowknife. And there’s no shortage of work. We’ve been pretty much busy since 2007. We’ve been going nonstop. The projects vary. It’s a mix of residential construction and government projects. It’s good, but there’s no break.
PC: What is one of the largest challenges your company has faced in the piling industry and how did you overcome it?
Evangelista: We feel the number one challenge is ensuring that we complete all projects to Northstar standards. This all starts with the right personnel. The pace is nonstop so it’s really about staying on top of all of the work out there. Across the board, piling contractors have to install two, three or four different types of foundations. We started off with driven piles and moved very quickly into doing helical piles and we’re getting into concrete piles. Different construction sectors often call for different types of foundations, and different applications. If you can approach a problem with multiple solutions, you’re better off. Growth is going to come from completed projects. Doors of opportunity open and it continues to spiral. Again, the key challenge is making sure we can go after all of those projects with the best crews we can.
Kraft: We have diversified. Our last big project was a boardwalk in Grand Beach, Man. that had been destroyed during a storm. The government has been rebuilding it, but we did an architectural rendering of a railway bed that was embedded in concrete. We rebuilt a sundial that had been there for 50 years. So these are the kinds of projects we are taking on in addition to the pile driving industry.
Higgins: Our largest challenge is educating building officials, architects, engineers and contractors to the design of foundations using screw piles. Although we are pioneering a proven technology with a track record nearly two centuries old, the concept is new to Manitoba. Reluctant to look at alternatives to “the way it’s always been done,” most folks in the construction industry are not taking initiative to learn about screw piles. However, one project at a time we are opening eyes and minds to the technology and steadily increasing awareness and credibility.
Nightingale: Finding competent crane operators has been a challenge over the years. We have concentrated on training present employees to meet our needs.
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PC: Where in Canada has your company performed piling work?
Evangelista: Right now, we’re completing work in northeastern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and we were just awarded a large project in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Higgins: Our Postech Screw Piles dealership has performed piling work throughout Winnipeg, rural Manitoba and our beloved cottage country, including northwest Ontario. Postech’s more than 60 dealers across Canada have completed piling projects in a wide range of Canadian soils and climates from coast to coast.
Nightingale: The majority of our work has been in the lower mainland of British Columbia, [but also] Alberta and the Yukon.
PC: Do you place a focus on using Canadian talent, materials and equipment?
Evangelista: We have personnel from all across Canada. For materials, it all depends on the project requirements; we source domestically as well as offshore. For equipment, we have our patented EXCA-Driver, which is our excavator mounted pile driver that is built here in Canada, and is patented in various countries in the world. As this work is very unique and we also have various suppliers from across the world, we can always be competitive with the most up to date piling equipment available.
Higgins: Absolutely. Canadian materials are built for rough and tough life in Canada and can brave the weather and terrain. Much like our materials, Canadian workers are built tough and don’t run for the hills when the going gets tough and the job needs to get done.
PC: What has been one your most “Canadian” experiences in your business?
Evangelista: Almost all of the companies we compete with are Canadian. There is one company that brings its equipment up through the States, but for the most part, all of the piling and foundation companies that we work beside and compete against are Canadian. There are a very finite number of piling contractors. Surprisingly, there are not a lot of small, mid- to large-sized companies out there doing continual work. There are more in Western Canada. Competition is very healthy.
Higgins: We don’t kick back and rest our feet in the winter months. It’s not always easy and after long days in sub-zero weather, our team and equipment come back weathered and beat from an extreme day at work. With this comes pride and character that could only be built in Canada. Last year, we came across unforeseen weather and soil challenges while installing screw piles in a remote lake for a dock and boathouse. Determined to get the job done, the team decided to work into the night, stay in the frigid non-insulated cabin and continue work at the crack of dawn. With the sun down, half the team made it their mission to catch dinner on the lake and the other half gathered wood to heat the cabin. What made this experience truly Canadian was the fact that the team saw this as one of the more enjoyable projects completed to date.
PC: What advice can you offer to other Canadians looking to start up their own construction business?
Kraft: I would absolutely tell anyone to go for it! The one thing I have learned is that when it comes to the word “engineering,” a lot of people get scared away. If you have an idea and you know how to take it to reality, that is what engineering is all about.
Evangelista: Operate your business with integrity; people make the company, so ensure they are part of the team and stay focused on your core business.
Higgins: Make sure you have what it takes to deliver an exceptional customer experience. Canada is really a small country and it doesn’t take long for word to travel. This can mean disaster for those who deliver a poor customer experience. The good news is that word travels fast also for those who deliver an exceptional customer experience. Lastly, research your services and products to ensure they are built tough for Canada’s extreme climates.
PC: Where do you think the industry is headed in the near future – two to five years?
Evangelista: I see more consolidation in the industry so companies can offer more diverse piling services and are large enough when combined to compete on large scale projects.
Higgins: We believe that the deep foundation industry has a promising future. More and more, the benefits of deep foundations are promoted in Manitoba with many building officials and engineers insisting on them. Although piles can’t be seen, the general public is beginning to see value in having a home or cottage built on pilings. Many of our customers take pictures of their Postech screw pile foundation so that in the future, when selling the property, they can showcase the piled foundation to potential buyers and drive up the selling price.
Mann: I see the industry planing out. A lot of our drive here is by government. There is the mining industry here, which is expanding. The housing market is stable so I don’t see a lot of new expansion here. There’s been a rapid growth, but I think it is going to plane out.
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